Why Chiropractic is so Popular

1. Chiropractic promotes natural healing.

Always seek out the least invasive, most “user friendly” form of health care before submitting to drugs and surgery.

2. Chiropractic can prevent problems.

It keeps you healthy. Chiropractic is able to locate stress creating distortions in your body (subluxations) before damage occurs.

3. Chiropractic is effective and natural.

Why take drugs when you can be helped without them? That’s a big reason why millions of people visit their neighborhood doctor of chiropractic.

4. Chiropractic is safe.

There are no side effects, no surgery that forever changes your body. Chiropractic has an enviable safety record – malpractice insurance for chiropractors is a tiny fraction of that for medical practitioners.

5. Chiropractic is for the entire family.

Everyone, from the very young to the very old, can benefit from chiropractic care.

6. Family chiropractic care sends a healthy message to children.

You don’t need to take drugs to lead a happy healthy life.

Reference: Dr. Ted Koren, Koren Publications

Food Irradiation: Is this really a "safety measure?"

I recently received an email warning me to check the packaging of my food for the logo depicted on the right. This logo indicates that your food has been irradiated to kill unwanted organisms that are living on the food. I was in disbelief when I first saw this. Is it safe to irradiate food? Does it change the nutritional value? What are the risks associated with ionizing radiation? This is almost as ridiculous as when the FDA approved the addition of live viruses on deli meats to kill off unwanted bacteria, several years ago. It makes me wonder, how does ionizing radiation know the difference between the "bad bacteria" and the "good bacteria"? Certainly the brains behind this operation know that bacteria are essential for proper digestion and elimination. They must know that the human body contains trillions of microorganisms, and that these organisms outnumber our cells.

Having been trained in the use of x-ray technology for the diagnosis of disease, it is common knowledge that ionizing radiation can alter DNA in humans. I believe it is safe to assume that ionizing radiation will alter vegetables and fruits as well. Since our food ultimately will become part of us, I am sure that I don't want fruits and vegetables that have been damaged by radiation to enter my body. Would you want all of the materials in your house to be irradiated before you lived in it? Remember we are products of our environment and what occurs outside our bodies most likely is occurring inside.

One more note: Beware of food that says it is "cold pasteurized." While this seems like a much better option for our food, it is a misleading way of saying that food has been irradiated. Certain groups are pushing for this term to be widely used since most Americans are alarmed when they hear the term irradiated food.

Read more at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation#Current_U.S._market
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/catalog/irradbro.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/health/policy/22spinach.html?_r=1&fta=y

The Power of Sleep

We often hear the popular phrase, "Sleep is over rated" & "I don't have time to sleep." Living in a society where time is money, we often trade sleep for getting more done in our day. I am at fault of this all too often, until I recently had a wake up call (no pun intended).

I like to think of myself as a healthy person. I know the importance of living a wellness lifestyle & most days do a good job of getting exercise, eating healthy, having a positive mental attitude, etc. I get adjusted 2 times a week (one of the many perks of being married to Josh!). But, alas, I began experiencing symptoms. At first it was a scratchy throat, slight fever, achyness. Day 2 it was coughing, runny nose, more fever, more achyness, general tiredness. Day 3, all previous symptoms worsened & I was cranky. You get the idea. This continued for a week. I made dietary changes, used garlic as a natural immune booster, drank copious amounts of ginger tea for an anti-inflammatory effect. I was getting adjusted every day. I increased my fish oil to 3 grams, again for an anti-inflammatory effect. Despite all of my efforts, I was seemingly not improving, & getting seriously frustrated.

It was Josh who realized I was neglecting the importance of getting adequate, restful sleep. Realizing I was extremely overtired & irritable, Josh took Hudson out for the day. I slept a solid 6 hours & woke up feeling better already. We decided to make some changes to our sleeping arrangements, so that I could get the rest my body needed to heal. This would leave Josh largely responsible for Hudson throughout the night. I was apologetic, but excited to get some more sleep. Guess what happened? I slept like a rock again (and again).

The moral of my story is this: we can be taking care of ourselves by eating right, getting adjusted, exercising, and thinking good thoughts, but if we are not getting enough restful sleep, our body is unable to repair & heal. Healing is a process that requires time. Most healing occurs during the hours that our mind is quiet and our bodies are resting. It is during this time that our body can focus its energy on repairing and restoring health.

Make time for sleep. It is not over rated!

Homeostasis

Homeostasis: The ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes

The key to health is homeostasis. It is the constant regulation of all body functions. Dis-ease occurs when the body falls out of balance, usually due to its surroundings. Environmental factors cause our bodies to make an adaptation to restore homeostasis or balance.

Temperature is an environmental factor that our body responds to and makes an adaptation to. If we are too cold, our body will begin to shiver. Shivering is an involuntary firing of our muscles in an effort to produce heat and warm our core temperature back to optimal temperature. When our bodies are in an environment that is too hot, we begin to perspire and give off heat via convection in an effort to lower our core temperature back to optimal.

Homeostasis is the most important aspect of our health. All bodily functions are trying to maintain homeostasis. Symptoms are usually an indicator that the body has veered away from homeostasis. Often times, people ask me if chiropractic is “good” for this particular symptom or ailment. My answer is always the same. Chiropractic removes interference to the nervous system, the master control system of the whole body. The nervous system is the center of regulation and homeostatic functioning of the whole body. Chiropractic is great for restoring nervous system function and homeostasis. Symptoms are not the problem. They are our helping indicators to let us know that something has fallen out of balance and something needs to be done.

Finding the right recipe

As the year winds down, the inevitable question pops up, "What's your new year's resolution?'. Some answer this question jokingly because of past resolutions that never came to fruition. The key value or belief in this person's mind is "the past will dictate my future.". This is often the case with yo-yo dieters or sporadic exercisers. I am writing today to release this belief from your mindset and let you know that this could not be farther from the truth.

If I wanted to make the aforementioned statement true, I would say if you do the same thing over and over, you will always get the same result. This is why people use recipes when cooking. They want to get the same result; a tasty dish. What makes the resolution question so humorous to many is that they are used to following the same recipe for failure.

This year, do something different. Follow a different recipe for success. Below is just one recipe for success.

1 Gallon of "I believe I can"

1 Quart of I am determined to do this

4 Cups of Goal setting

1 Tsp. of consult someone with expertise.

1 Cup of taking action

1 Cup of write it down

1 Cup of tell everyone you know about your end result.

1 Cup of planning for obstacles

1 Cup of short term goals that lead to your big one.

1. Cup of positive mental attitude.

12 oz. can of support system, friends, family members, coworkers

Combine all ingredients together until the right consistency is reached. Bake for one year.

Let it snow!

Good Morning blog readers! It's a beautiful Saturday morning at Rhinebeck Chiropractic. Made it into the office this morning carefully and began to shovel the path leading to the front door. As I was doing this task, I realized I do better giving pointers on shoveling than actually doing the winter work itself. As a chiropractor, a heavy snow fall means the phone will begin to ring in the days following with patients and current practice members who "over did it" while clearing the fluffy white stuff. Since prevention is the best medicine (chiropractic), I thought I would give you a few pointers on shoveling to make your holiday more enjoyable.

1. Always warm up first! Muscles and soft tissues are more elastic when they are warm. In addition to wearing warm clothing, feel free to do some light physical activity before lifting the shovel. Try walking the perimeter of the property or do some jumping jacks.

2. Push the snow when possible instead of lifting it. Your spine will thank you later!

3. Use your head. Feel the snow; is it wet or dry and fluffy? If it is wet, it will most likely be much heavier. Knowing how heavy the snow is allows your body to prepare to the sudden demand of shoveling.

4. Use your legs. Your legs are much stronger than the spinal erector muscles in our lower back. This means when you lift the shovel, you squat and stand up straight, rather than bending over at the hip.

5. Shovel while it is snowing. This is a sure fire way to keep the loads lighter and you get to pre-burn extra calories you are inevitably going to consume during the holidays. (Disclaimer: Rhinebeck Chiropractic does not approve or condone of over eating at anytime during the year; even the end.)

6. Get adjusted. Regular chiropractic adjustments keep your spine healthy. After being adjusted our bio mechanics are improved and the muscles used in shoveling work more efficiently.

It should also be noted that shoveling can count as exercise. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone. Enjoy the weather!!!

The oil light in your car.

What do you do when the oil light comes on in your car? Even those with the most basic car smarts will….. well you guessed it, check the oil level, and then add some oil if needed. Cost: $2.49 for the quart of 10W-30 motor oil. There are some out there, who for some reason or other just ignore the light. They continue to drive their car until it will not drive anymore. Worse yet they find some black electrical tape and cover the light. Out of site, out of mind. When the inevitable break down occurs, the cost is thousands. The damage irreversible. Our bodies are no different. Symptoms are like the oil light; an indicator that something needs to be checked out. It’s your first warning telling you that if you do not do something, crisis will ensue. Do something now about your health. Scan your body’s dashboard. What are your symptoms telling you?

Strengthening Your Immunity

Understanding immunity is vital in grasping our body's innate ability to heal itself. We are born with an innate or genetic immunity. While we were in our mother's womb, we received immunity through her exposure to different pathogens. As we came into the world, if we were breastfed, our mother continued to pass immunity to us, through her superfood breastmilk. Throughout our lives we continue to build our immunity through exposure to different pathogens. Each time we are exposed to a virus or bacteria, our body identifies the foreign invader & produces an antibody to protect us. Our body remembers every immune response we have had, & protects us from having symptoms or getting "sick" a second time. For example, most of us know that once we have had chickenpox, we cannot have it again.

We are exposed to different pathogens either naturally or artificially. Natural exposure is when we have the flu for example. We feel ill & spend a few days resting & allowing our body to heal. No matter how many more time we are exposed to that flu virus, we will not get it again. Artificial exposure is obtained through vaccination. You are injected with a solution that contains the pathogen (along with many other substances or additives). Your body reacts by producing antibodies in the same way as described before.

The more we are exposed to, the stronger our immune system becomes. This may be different that what you originally believed. Most people subscribe to the germ theory & use it to explain why we get sick. Germ theory was developed by Pasteur in the 1800's. He believed that the human body was pure & sterile. He theorized that if airborne pathogens, or germs, contaminated the body, sickness would result. However, we know today that the human body contains 20 times more bacteria in our body than cells. We have a normal "good" bacteria that help us digest & assimilate our nutrition daily. Bacteria is not only plentiful in our immune system, but necessary.

Our body has some fantastic systems in place for fighting pathogens. In fact, the body is constantly renewing itself & making changes to facilitate rebuilding. 98% of the atoms in the human body are renewed each year, with about half of the water molecules, or 70% of the body, being replaced every 8 days. Blood plasma renews itself every 10 days, white blood cells every 2-3 weeks, red blood cells every 120 days, & our entire blood supply every 3-4 months. Our skin renews itself every 28 days, the stomach lining replaces itself every week, & the liver regenerates every 6 weeks. It is clear to see that the human body is an amazing self healing, self regulating organism.

For some reason we agree with this fact when we think about getting a cut, or breaking a bone, (body heals itself), but we seem to forget about it when we think about getting a cold, flu, or other common illness. The fact is that we cannot escape germs. They are abundant everywhere. We must replace this ideal of "fighting germs" with strengthening our immunity. If we support our body properly, we can look forward to having better health through better immunity. Below is a list of simple tasks to use towards improving your immunity:

1. Eat organic, whole foods, many vegetables & fruits

2. Avoid processed foods, sugars, hydrogenated oils, bleached flours, & high fructose corn syrup

3. Check with your health care provider to see if Essential Fatty Acids & Probiotics would be of benefit to you.

4. Remove toxins from your life: chemicals, alcohol, smoke, plastics, dyes, additives, etc.

5. Limit pharmaceutical drugs that cover up symptoms & in some cases are unnecessary

6. Maintain a positive mental attitude

7. Exercise five times a week

8. Get at least 6 hours of restful sleep each night

9. Practice quiet time each day (prayer, meditation, yoga, etc.)

10. Get adjusted! Research shows people who receive regular chiropractic adjustments have immune system competency that is 200% greater than those who don't!

For more information on strengthening your immunity, attend one of our advanced wellness workshops with Dr. Jessica. Upcoming dates: 12/9 @ 10 am & 12/18 @ 5pm.

Hit the target!

As the year winds down, we begin to look back at the year and question whether or not the year was "a good one". What have you accomplished? Are you on pace to reach and or surpass your goals? Did you set goals?

With the world in turmoil right now, many tend to look at the downside of the news we hear on a local, national and world perspective. Fear is 0n the face of many I see as I walk down the street. The news we watch and read gives us little to no promise of anything good to come out of this.

It's time to take a new perspective on the changes we are experiencing everyday. Do not look at news as either good or bad. Look at it for what it is; news. In fact, news is really history when you think about it and it is obvious that we can not change the past, only the future. News is not a predictor of the future. We choose what tomorrow's "news" will be. With that said we are left empowered because we now have the choice of what we choose to see and think about the news. Billions of dollars vanishing in days can now seem like the beginning of a change or even a revolution of sorts. It can represent an opportunity to anyone looking for the opportunity. It can represent a chance to start over and re-examine your life's purpose. Now that we are empowered we can take the first step in reaching our goals.

Is it possible to hit a target that you can not see? Maybe, but not likely. That is why it is so important to set goals. Typically, it takes some time betwen the time we set a goal and the time we set things in motion to accomplish a goal. That is why October is such a great month to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2009. We often set goals in January, but by february they are all but forgotton. October is the month to get serious about setting your goals and setting your sights on the opportunity that the new year brings.

The anatomy of a goal. There are many types of goals, some are specific, some are nonspecific. the best kind are the ones that are specific because they are easier to measure. If you have nonspecific goals, outline the steps needed to reach that goal and use the steps as individual specific goals to use as benchmarks on the way to your original nonspecific goal. A measurable goal increases the likelyhood of it being reached.

Set goals in all areas of your life. Most people think about a particular area of their life when setting goals. Personal goals, health goals, financial goals, play goals, family goals are all common areas that we set goals for. Remember your imagination is the limit when setting goals. Although some may say your goal is unrealistic, only you can set your goals. If you let someone convince you that your goal is in fact unrealistic, you have just given away your power to set your own goals. Beware of those that like to steal your power to set goals. They are doing it because their power to set goals is not as strong as yours.

Set goals pertainining to performance, rather than outcome. If you are a runner and want to finish a marathon, I would say it is important to train frequelntly to build your endurance and eat a diet to support your training needs. The goal of finishing a marathon is a good goal, but to set a goal of training 3-4 times everyweek unitl that marathon is an even better goal. This is because finishing the marathon is an outcome while training 3 to 4 times a week will enhance performance or ability to achieve the goal. By setting perfrmance goals, we increase our chances of getting the desired out come.

Have you ever noticed that we like to wait until the last minute to get things done? Most times waiting for the last minute creates somewhat of a crisis in life and most times nonetheless we get them done. Set a deadline to achieve your goals, but don't wait for the last minute to get them done. This eliminates the crisis situation and you still get to reach your goal. Think about the farmer who tries to plant a seed and harvest it in the same day.

Prioritize your goals and take action on those with the highest priority. Examine how your time is spent. How much time do you spend doing high priority tasks versus low priority tasks? Reduce or eliminate time spent doing low priority tasks in exchange for working toward your goals. If you get the big things done first, we become more flexible when those last minute crisis occur.

Keep track of your goals. Write them and read them daily. Fill your mind with emotion when reading them. Turn them into affirming statements in present tense and in first person. For example; If you aspire to become the president of the united states. Say, " I am the president of the United States." At first it will feel silly, then once you get over that say it again seriously and feel the emotions that surface when you say it. The more you evoke the emotions of a president, the closer and more attainable the goal will seem.

Lastly, set some "easy" goals to achieve immediately. Achieving these goals gets you well on your way for the new year. Don't forget to celebrate each and every victory so you can carry that energy for the next goal you tackle.

Vitalism

How do you handle your health & wellness? Do you take a proactive stance & focus on prevention? Or, do you wait until you are expressing symptoms to take action? If you are having a health challenge, do you focus on treating only the area that hurts, or do you support your entire body so that you may heal more effectively? Your answers to these questions help identify which health care paradigm you value. There are two main paradigms within health care; vitalism & mechanism.

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

is a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from physicochemical forces; a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining.

Vitalism stands in contrast to mechanistic thinking, which is the basis of traditional allopathy. Mechanists believe that life can be explained in strictly physical terms. Traditional medicine is based on the reductionistic approach, explaining health in terms of purely physical & measurable phenomena. When there is a problem within the body, the focus is on treating that one area & the approach is outside-in, meaning either you must take something (drugs), or you need something removed (surgery).

It is clear to see the differences in these two health care paradigms. Through understanding these differences we may better understand the application of chiropractic & how it can bring us closer to optimum health and wellness.

Chiropractic is a vitalistic approach to healthcare. There is more to life than simply the sum of all body parts & processes. The laws of science do not fully explain life. There is an innate intelligence that resides in the body. This intelligence is responsible for the organization, maintenance & healing of the body. The body is a self healing & self regulating organism. Healing is modulated through the function of the nervous system, the master control system of the body. Thus, healing occurs from inside-out. Vitalists recognize & trust this inborn intelligence of the body. They acknowledge that only the wisdom of the body can heal. Doctors do not heal. As chiropractors, we remove the interference from the nervous system, so that the innate intelligence of the body can function as intended & the body can heal itself.

An interesting fact to share is that the first object to form in utero is the neural tube, which develops into the nervous system (brain, spinal cord & nerves). The nervous system functions as the master control system of the body, through which all other processes are directed. It helps us to grow, repair & heal from conception to death. The innate intelligence of the body is able to communicate with the body through the nervous system.

I am reminded of the amazing innate capabilities of the human body in watching my 13 month old son. Since I learned that I was pregnant, I have been in awe of human development. Throughout our pregnancy, his body developed & grew at a remarkable rate. He was born a gorgeous little man, with every cell, tissue & organ functioning, perfectly. How did his body know how to do this? How do cells know how to replicate & differentiate into the heart, lungs, digestive tract, etc? From the moment he was born, this inborn intelligence helped him to eat, sleep & eliminate. Within a few weeks, he was holding his head up. By six months, he began crawling. We did not have to teach him how to crawl; he simply did it. This soon progressed to pulling up & eventually walking. If you have ever watched a child develop, perhaps you too have been amazed. These developments are not chance, rather they are the mark of inborn intelligence.

This intelligence doesn't leave us as we grow up. We may fail to recognize it as we grow older, but it is always there. Start trusting your body & its inborn intelligence. It was able to guide you through your life, to where you are today. Pretty amazing if you ask me. The body needs no help, just no interference. Think about this next time you are having a health challenge. Ask yourself, is my body functioning at 100% right now? If your answer is not yes, you may consider having a chiropractor check your spine & nervous system for interference. Why not support the system that constantly supports & regulates you?

Unlimited Health

Recently after an 8 mile run (my personal best) I had an ah-ha moment. During the long run, which did not seem so long thanks to my running partners, I was in disbelief of my accomplishment. I crossed a line mentally that I had drawn; a block if you will that I made up in my own head. It was a true testament to the fact that we have unlimited potential. Although I was already a subscriber to this idea, I realized that I still limit myself in many ways. It opened up the question if I can run 8 miles, how bad could 9 miles be? I guess I’ll find out this Sunday.

Other questions that it raised include, how many other times have I limited my powers and not explored just based on the little box I had put myself in? How many times have I missed a life changing moment because I played it safe? How many people did I miss out on touching because I did not speak up? Have you ever asked yourself this? Have you ever feared something and then realized it was not scary? We often do this to ourselves. It is a safety mechanism that we developed somewhere in our childhood. For example, mom always instructed us not to talk to strangers. This is sound advice for a child, but what about an adult? This same advice has catastrophic effects on people everywhere because meeting new people and building relationships is instrumental in achieving success.

Taking it one step further, I tried to envision a larger box. How far could we go? The answer is as far we think we can. Brings new meaning to Henry Ford’s quote, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, your right.” Or going by the children’s book The Little Engine that Could, “I think I can, I think I can….”

In terms of health, how healthy can we get? On one end of the spectrum, there are those who are close to death while some have diseases that will take years to die from. Others are sick; and of this population some will recover, others health will slide quickly. Some are just not sick. They have no symptoms, they get by every day. They consider the day as a grind; get through it so you can do it all over again. Others see the day as a chance to learn a lesson. Today’s mistakes will help us make better choices and decisions tomorrow so we can be our best self. To be healthy you must go get health every day, actively pursue it and if you think you reached it make your box bigger, think of something better because there is untapped potential that can be unleashed. This weekend it's mile nine for me. For others it may be mile 29 while others it may involve eating less, more frequently, while others decide to smoke one less cigarette tomorrow. Your health is yours for the taking, unlimited; without limits; limitless.

To me this is the true concept of wellness. Wellness is never reached its only pursued. Wellness is infinite health. Wellness is the journey. Wellness is the philosophy that says your health is unlimited.

In order to get healthy we must think about what it means to be healthy. We must picture it and compare this picture to our reality. We must take a mental snapshot and work toward it. The beauty is that this snapshot can be edited and replaced with new snapshots that depict an even healthier you, a new level of health.

The Chiropractic Lifestyle

Welcome to Rhinebeck Chiropractic's blog! As a chiropractor, it is no secret that chiropractic has changed my life. It has changed my life, my family's lives, even those who are close friends of mine; it has changed their lives as well. In fact, to me chiropractic is not a profession or a job. It's a lifestyle. Since it is my lifestyle and a lifestyle for many of those we love, there are certain principles we live by that help us make decisions about the way we live. Here are some of the principles of the chiropractic lifestyle.

• The human body has its own natural ability to heal itself. It needs no help, just no interference.


• The master control system of the body is the nervous system. If this master control system isn't working at 100%, it is impossible for the body to run at 100%.


• Functioning at less than 100% leaves the door open for disease or a decline in health.
  We are what we eat, literally. Every 5-7 years every cell currently in your body will be gone and replaced by new ones from the food you are eating today.


• Our thoughts affect our physiology and much more. If we desire a healthy body, we must be nourished with healthy thoughts. What types of thoughts dominate inside your head? Do you watch the news every night knowing that 98% of the stories will be about someone else's misfortune? The news has gotten old and you know it.


• Exercise is a nutrient, so those who don't exercise are malnourished.


• The human body is capable of improving everyday. What ramifications would your life have if you improved a little everyday?
  
  Are you living the chiropractic lifestyle? What are you doing to ensure your spine and nervous system are working at 100%? Are you looking to get healthy or just not sick? Did you know that Americans spend more on healthcare than any other nation, yet the World Health Organization ranks the United States 37th on their list of healthy countries? Have you tried to "Get healthy" and failed before. Not sure where to start? Subscribe to this blog or check back soon as Drs. Jessica and I (Dr. Josh Burckhard) post articles pertaining to your health and living the chiropractic lifestyle.
  
  Want to know more about us? Visit our Web Page at http://www.rhinebeckchiropractic.com/